Dessert for Two
by Heero de Fanel
Summary: Post final bonding episodes, SPOILERS for Shio's in particular. Shio's cleaning dishes when Mitsuki shows up wanting to talk...


**Dessert for Two**

* * *

"Hey, Shio!"

His head snapped up at the sudden intrusion, stopping mid-wipe.

"What is it? I'm almost done here, so if there's a delivery I can head out right after," he replied, setting down his dish towel and sending a quick glance at the door upon hearing Kanji's rough voice.

"Finish up there then and come on out; there's a customer here to see you."

… Déjà vu. And was it his imagination, or did the old man sound amused?

"Got it," he answered, wiping down the last of the cookware and pushing the curtain aside to enter the dining room. "So, what's this about a – "

"Takahata-kun," came the ever-pleasant greeting, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hokuto," he grunted, nodding at his fellow third year in polite acknowledgement. "Can't say I expected a house call. What brings you by?"

She gave him a quiet smile from where she was seated, her hands folded across her lap, and he had known her long enough by now to recognize that it was slightly stiffer than it normally was. "Oh, this and that."

Well, that was about as clear as mud.

"Care to give that another shot? I'm sure you could be vaguer if you tried," he said, raising an eyebrow. "But I should probably ask; what can I get for you?"

Kanji wordlessly handed Shio a menu before excusing himself to head to the back room, the small smirk on the older man's face making it clear he was reading far more into this than there actually was. He could only imagine what Manami would have thought…

"Well," Mitsuki began, her eyes carefully following Kanji's retreating figure, "what I had before was delicious, but I'm certain that's not all you have up your sleeve. What would you recommend, Takahata-kun?"

Shio pulled out his notepad and absentmindedly started tapping his pencil on it, his brow creased in thought. "It's all edible. The Tempura Morisoba's good if you've got a serious appetite, the katsudon's basically comfort food personified, if you feel like indulging your sweet tooth than the anmitsu's probably your best – "

"Oh yes, before I forget; was there a particular reason that you decided to keep the possibility of Chaos mobilizing in Morimiya under your metaphorical hat?" she inquired politely.

He stopped tapping.

"Sorry, that's not on our menu right now. On a day like today I'd recommend the anmitsu if you're not that hungry, but it's your call. The customer's always right, and all that."

Mitsuki simply kept on looking at him steadily, meeting his borderline glare with a placid gaze, and after a moment or two Shio dropped his head and exhaled, accepting that even the heat of his fire wasn't capable of melting her will of steel.

Some things just didn't change. Kazuma-san would probably laugh at him, had he been here. Aki too, probably.

"Lemme guess," he sighed, not bothering with any form of denial. It wouldn't have worked, anyway. "Tokisaka?"

"Yes and no. I confirmed the situation with him after everything was resolved, but we've heard quiet rumblings for a little while now. The Hokuto Group has eyes and ears everywhere."

He rolled his eyes. "How could I forget? You play dirty, Hokuto."

"We play to win, Takahata-kun," she quipped, looking a little more comfortable now.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't suppose you'd believe me," Shio began, pulling out a chair to join her, "if I told you that everything was under control and that Tokisaka was just overreacting?"

Her answer was swift, decisive, and everything he expected. "No. No, I would not."

"Figures," he grumbled. "Least you're honest about it, but I'm being honest too. There's no way those idiots would have been able to do what they claimed, no matter how loud their bark was."

She leaned back in her seat, listening intently. "You sound very sure of your assessment, Takahata-kun."

"That's because I am. Not that I blame Tokisaka for jumping in when he saw what looked like a bad situation, and I wasn't about to turn him down – not after the speech he gave me, anyway."

"He does have that effect on people, doesn't he?" she noted, shaking her head fondly. "Not even one of BLAZE's top lieutenants is immune, it seems."

Shio coughed, pointedly trying to ignore her expression of amusement.

"… Anyway. Yeah, the Tama crew were making some serious noise, and Chaos as a whole is definitely a group that could have followed through on those threats if they really wanted to. That said…"

"… That said?" she repeated when he trailed off, curious.

"Here's the thing about Chaos; when they was active in Morimiya, they were pretty methodical in how they operated. Sure, the low level guys pulled some pretty shady stunts from time to time, but the higher-ups _never_ went off half-cocked to start real shit without thinking. It was a big reason why we always had to take them seriously, no matter what; whenever they decided to act, they went all in."

Her eyes softened. "Like the situation that led to BLAZE disbanding."

Shio gave a slow nod in reply, the memory of that horrible night still making him feel hollow even now. "Exactly like that." He pressed on in a hurry, not wanting to subject himself to anymore of Hokuto's sympathy then was necessary – Kazuma-san wouldn't have stood for it. "This – this was nothing. This was two small fries with inflated egos trying to pull off something that their bosses wouldn't have even considered without more planning and consideration. Like I told Tokisaka, I doubt the brass even knew about it."

He didn't bother to include that he doubted Chaos was going to give the pair of idiots any help, either; while a gang that size naturally had a number of unsavory connections, they sure as hell weren't going to pull them out for something like this. No, they were going to be held up as examples, paraded for all to see as the legal system did what it did best, and try as he might Shio couldn't find it in himself to feel sympathetic in the least.

He smirked, grim and mirthless. Sorry, boys. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

"… So. You truly had things under control?"

Her voice was so quiet that Shio barely heard it, and he found himself leaning in just the slightest bit to close the gap.

"Yeah," he answered slowly, a little uncertain now. "I knew the score going in, and I knew exactly how the small fries operated. Like I said, I wasn't about to send Tokisaka home or anything, but even if he hadn't shown up… I'd have handled it just fine."

She smiled, though it was hard not to notice how it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I see. That's a relief."

The words hung in the air, heavy and oppressive, and if this had been even a few months ago… well, he probably would have shrugged his shoulders and left it.

But it wasn't, so he didn't.

"Hokuto," he murmured, the question left unspoken.

Wonder of wonders, she actually flushed.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologized with a hasty wave of her hand and a laugh so fake it sent a shiver down his spine. "I'm acting a little strangely, aren't I?"

"I'd say so, yeah." He crossed his arms and leaned a little closer still, their gazes meeting. "Out with it. What's wrong?"

She blinked twice at that, a little startled, and it was hard to blame her; before Tokisaka and the others had come along, he belatedly realized, he and Hokuto had done more talking past each other than at each other.

They had been comrades then. They were friends now.

That made all the difference.

"It's… it's nothing, really," Mitsuki said at last, her hands deliberately smoothing out her skirt. "I just can't but feel that as part of the Hokuto Group, I should have been more aware of the situation, especially given my past involvement with Chaos' previous excursions into Morimiya. There's no excuse for…"

His eyes softened when she went silent and looked down at her feet, biting her lip in frustration, and he finally recognized the look on her face for what it was.

Regret.

"I apologize, Takahata-kun," she said, her posture turning stiff and formal as she sat up higher in her chair. "This matter should not have been left unattended to begin with, and the Hokuto Group should have been ready to assist in whatever way they could, just as we've done in the past."

She sounded both proud and distant, looking every bit like the president she was born to become.

He had no trouble reading between the lines that lay underneath every word.

_"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I should have been."_

Despite the ridiculousness of it – Shio hadn't told her and as far as he knew she (probably) wasn't psychic, so how the hell could she have known what was going on for sure? – he found himself smiling warmly, much to her surprise.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, the fire that was the core of his being flickering gently all the while. "It's okay, Hokuto."

She glared at him, the solemn façade crumbling. "It's hardly okay, Takahata-kun!"

… Okay, maybe breaking into a fit of snickers wasn't the best way to respond, but he couldn't help it. God, she was almost pouting – how often did he get to see that?

"And what exactly is so amusing?"

"Listen," he managed, exhaling roughly and trying hard not to grin at the indignant expression on her face, "I get it. Really, I do. But seriously; don't sweat it. First off; this was supposed my problem to deal with. Not yours, not the XRC's, not Tokisaka's – not that he listened – mine. That's why I didn't ask you or anyone for help – "

She sniffed. "Thank you for reminding me, we'll certainly be discussing _that_ at some point – "

"Yeah, sure. And second," he continued, rather enjoying the role reversal at the moment, "if I had reached out – c'mon, Hokuto. You'd have been there in a heartbeat and we both know it."

The admission came far easier than expected, and Shio wasn't sure if he'd ever seen her at a loss for words before, though he was pretty damn convinced he was seeing it now.

It was interesting.

"You would have," he repeated softly, and this time it was her turn to lean closer in an attempt to hear. "Not a doubt in my mind."

Mitsuki said nothing in reply, but her slow exhale as the tension gradually drained from her shoulders told the entire story.

He was glad. Hokuto had enough on her plate without having to worry about his issues too.

"If it makes you feel better," Shio added with a small grin, "if Chaos is ever stupid enough to try anything in Morimiya again, I'll shoot you a message on NIER. How's that?"

"Vetoed," she immediately replied with a shake of her head, drawing a hand to her chest. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to do better than that, Takahata-kun."

"Hmph. Be careful what you wish for. I could always show up at your apartment building on my bike ready to throw rocks at your window."

Mitsuki laughed, and he had to admit; he had grown to enjoy hearing it. "Something tells me you're not exaggerating, though I should warn you that I live fairly high up."

"Penthouse, huh? Figures," he said with a shake of his head. "Whatever, I like to think I have a pretty strong arm."

"Oh, I have no problem believing that. The XRC's seen the evidence firsthand, after all."

He smirked at that but said nothing more, the pair allowing themselves to briefly enjoy the companionable silence.

"You okay, then?" Shio finally asked, his question eliciting a calm smile from the Hokuto heiress.

"I'd say so. I'm going to hold you to your word though, Takahata-kun," she warned, a look of satisfaction working its way across her face. "I expect to be kept in the loop if this ever happens again… if only so I can pay you back for lending me your assistance before."

"I already said I would, didn't I?" he shot back, the memory of the last time she had shown up at the soba restaurant running through his head. "I keep my promises, Hokuto. I wouldn't be able to face Kazuma-san if I didn't."

She smiled warmly, the sun glinting off her hair. "I believe you."

"Good. On that note – are you gonna order, or what?" he asked, pointedly tapping the forgotten notepad with his pen.

Mitsuki folded her arms, thinking. "Hmm… to be honest with you, I think my sweet tooth is calling out right now. I'll have an order of the anmitsu, please."

"You got it," Shio said, scrawling the order down (in this place and this place alone, he was nothing if not a creature of habit) before he slipped the pad into his pocket and stood up. "Be back in a little bit."

The curtain had barely settled behind him before an energetic Manami – when she had gotten back, he didn't know – practically shoved a perfectly made bowl of anmitsu on a tray at him. "Here. Go."

Shio gaped, a little flustered. "What – where did – she can't finish all this, why did you make so much – "

"Go," she repeated, turning him around and not-quite pushing him back out the doorway, and Mitsuki looked up, visibly surprised that he was back so soon.

"Uh… here," he said lamely, taking a seat and setting down the large tray in front of her. "I guess she had some energy to burn, or something."

"Or something," she murmured, clearly impressed with the dish in front of her. "Oh, look! That was considerate of her, wasn't it?"

"What was?" he asked, still distracted, and when he turned his head he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the blue haired girl holding up two spoons with a pleased expression on her face.

"You'll join me, won't you?"

He shook his head.

"I'm really not that hungry."

She frowned, reaching out to start drizzling the black syrup. "Are you sure? You're not going to make me finish this all by myself, are you?"

"Be a gentleman, Shio!" Manami's voice sang out, and as he wheeled around to send an incredulous look back at the kitchen –

"Takahata-kun."

"What's – mmph!" he tried to reply, before he was interrupted by the perfect balance of sweetness, texture, and some of the freshest fruit that Morimiya's market had.

Damn, Manami really did make the best anmitsu.

"Much better," she said with a sweet smile, still holding the spoon out. "And I didn't even have to make you say 'aah' or anything."

Goddammit, there was absolutely no dignified way out of this. There really wasn't.

"… I can feed myself, Hokuto," he mumbled, and it was really hard to look sullen when you were eating something so damn good.

Mitsuki's eyes playfully twinkled in the afternoon light. "Prove it," she told him, letting go of his spoon and reaching for hers, daintily digging in with a pleased sigh.

There was no escaping it, was there? Just when he thought he'd managed to get away unscathed, there was Hokuto, ready and waiting to prove him wrong...

Still, he mused, as he 'reluctantly' joined her in partaking, there were probably worse fates one could endure.

"As delicious as this is," she discreetly whispered in-between bites, "I'd like to try yours next time, Takahata-kun."

"Maybe," he muttered with a non-committal shrug, the corners of his mouth turning upwards, and she hid her own smile behind a hand, pretending that she didn't see.

* * *

AN: Man, this took a while to write. Blame Machias and Emma for always putting ideas into my head and whatnot. At any rate, I hope you all enjoyed it! While they weren't too ship-heavy this time around, Shio and Mitsuki are definitely a fun duo in their own way and I'm 100% returning to them at some point. Hell, I already have the basis for a sequel kicking around, but who knows when I'll get around to that :P


End file.
